No. 18 FSU soccer ties NC State 2-2 in ACC opener

· Yahoo Sports

No. 18 Florida State hosted NC State Friday evening in its first ACC matchup of the season, ending the night with a 2-2 draw.

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The Seminoles move to 4-1-2 on the season, while the Wolfpack move to 7-0-2.

FSU goalkeeper Kate Ockene entered the matchup after being named ACC Goalkeeper of the Week for her performance against Rice on Sunday.

Florida State’s starting lineup featured Ockene in goal; Olivia Page and Claire Rain on the back line; Shaneil Buckley, Peyton McGovern, Joelle Jung and Sam Erbach in the midfield; and Nyah Rose, Tanner Strickland, Wrianna Hudson and Ryder Ajeto up front.

The Seminoles were still without Bridget Mutipula, Janet Okeke and Nyanya Touray, who are competing in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

NC State wasted little time getting on the board. Erica Roberts scored just 1:37 into the match to give the Wolfpack an early 1-0 lead.

FSU continued looking for opportunities to answer, and the Seminoles found one in the 22nd minute. Buckley sent the ball to Hudson in front of the goal, where Hudson headed it into the net to tie the match at 1-1.

The Seminoles continued looking for another opportunity before halftime. Erbach took a free kick from outside the 18-yard box that found Hudson, but her header was saved by NC State goalkeeper Riley Pickels.

At 41:42, Erbach had another opportunity, but her shot went just over the goal.

NC State entered halftime with seven shots compared to FSU’s two. The physicality also started to show, with the Wolfpack recording four fouls and a yellow card, while the Seminoles had two fouls.

The Wolfpack regained the lead at 57:32 when sophomore Daisy Duda found the back of the net to make it 2-1.

Once again, the Seminoles had to find an answer.

At 64:29, Buckley stayed persistent in front of the goal and finished the opportunity, tying the match at 2-2.

Neither team was able to find the go-ahead goal, leaving FSU with a draw in its first ACC matchup of the season.

NC State finished the match with 13 shots, four on goal, while FSU recorded seven shots, five on goal. The Wolfpack also held an advantage in corner kicks, having eight and FSU having none. NC State finished with 12 fouls compared to six for Florida State.

Head coach Brian Pensky and the Seminoles now have more than a week away from competition to regroup, watch film and continue working on their chemistry as a team.

Florida State will return to ACC play on Sept. 27, traveling to Louisville for its second noon matchup of the season.

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